A headline on the Politico website told the story — or, more accurately, the part of the story Politico and much of the rest of the news media want told: "Michele Bachmann wins Ames Straw Poll, Tim Pawlenty gets third."

A link takes the reader to "the full article," which notes that Bachmann, the third-term Minnesota congresswoman "won 4,823 votes, narrowly edging out Ron Paul," who received exactly 152 fewer votes among the 16,892 ballots cast. That was the only mention of Paul in the "full article."

It might seem strange that Pawlenty's distant third-pace finish and his exit from the presidential race immediately thereafter should draw more news coverage than Paul's virtual tie with Bachmann for first place. Sunday's New York Times at least fit Paul, rather than Pawlenty, into the headline and noted in its story the closeness of Paul's 28 percent of the vote to Bachmann's 29 percent. (Actually, it was even closer when you look past the rounding off of numbers. Bachmann's total represented. 28.55 percent, while Paul's 4,671 votes gave him 27.65 percent of the total.) But it barely mentioned the Texas Congressman thereafter, beyond noting only that his "libertarian views put him at odds with many Republicans." The Washington Post made only one passing mention of Paul in its report on the Ames Straw poll. On CNN's Reliable Sources Sunday, Politico's Roger Simon noted the lack of coverage of Paul's strong second-pace finish. Prefacing his remarks by noting ironically,  "It's odd for me to be a Ron Paul supporter," Simon said:

But he lost to Michele Bachmann by nine-tenths of one percentage point. In a straw poll that isn't supposed to pick winners, but is supposed to tell us which way the wind is blowing, that's as good as win. So we had a tie for first. But where is he on the morning shows this morning? Where are all the stories analyzing what it means that Ron Paul essentially tied for first place at Ames?

Host Howard Kurtz asked: "And the reason that he has essentially been ignored is...?"

"Well, the media doesn't believe that Ron Paul has a hoot in hell's chance of winning the Iowa caucuses, winning the Republican nomination, or winning the presidency. So we're going to ignore him," Simon replied. At that point radio talkshow host Stephanie Miller chimed in with her assessment of how both the news media and opposing candidates should deal with Ron Paul: 

Yeah, I mean, I think it's because, Howard, that's the one thing Donald Trump has ever been right about, that [Paul's] unelectable.... My favorite part of the debate [in Ames] Thursday night is that, you know, Rick Santorum broke the golden rule of Republican debate and that's pretending that Ron Paul is invisible.    

The discussion then focused on Bachmann and two candidates who really were invisible at the Ames Straw Poll for the simple reason that they weren't there — Texas Governor Rick Perry, who announced his candidacy Saturday in South Carolina and received 718 write in votes, or 3.62 percent; and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who was on the ballot, but has done little campaigning in the state whose lead off caucuses early next year will be the first voting for delegates in the 2012 nominating process. Romney, who has been focusing instead on New Hampshire, where the first primary will be held, received just 567 votes, or 3.36 percent on Saturday.  Yet the Times the next day described the results in Iowa as the emergence of a three-way race for the Republican nomination: 

The race, at least in the short term, will focus on this trio: Mr. Romney, who is seen as next in line for the nomination, if the traditional rules of Republican presidential politics apply; Mrs. Bachmann, whose insurgent style has captured the imagination of many conservative activists; and Mr. Perry, who has held elective office his entire adult life, but has tapped into passionate small-government, anti-Washington sentiment within the party.

The Washington Post came to the same conclusion: "A Republican presidential campaign that has been slow to take shape suddenly snapped into focus Sunday, with an unlikely three-person top tier of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and the newest entry, Texas Gov. Rick Perry.... Bachmann was not considered a particularly strong candidate when the year began, but her victory in Saturday's straw poll cemented her status in the upper ranks of the GOP field."

Thus Perry vaulted into "top tier" status the moment he threw his 10-gallon Texas hat into the ring and Romney is the media--anointed frontrunner by virtue of being "next in line" — i.e. he finished second to John McCain in the contest for the nomination the last time around. But even allowing for the fact that Romney is a former and Perry a current governor of a large state, how does Bachmann's edging out of Paul by nine-tenths of a percentage point propel her into top-tier status, while Paul gets scarcely a mention, save by pundits who pronounce him "unelectable"? If the 28.55 percent of the vote Bachmann got at Ames elevates her to the "upper ranks of the GOP field," shouldn't Paul's 27.65 percent do the same?

It is worth noting, too, that Bachmann enjoyed in this contest what might be called a home-field advantage. Not only is she from the neighboring state of Minnesota, she is also a native of Iowa, having been born in Waterloo and having spent her early childhood there. It is a part of her biography that she mentioned repeatedly in speeches and campaign ads. "I tell people: Everything I need to know in life I learned in Iowa," she told a crowd of supporters on Saturday. "I have always been grateful than I'm an Iowan, and I believe it's time we had an Iowan in the White House," Bachmann said,

Paul, a 12-term Congressman from Texas, won more votes than Romney did in winning the Ames poll four years ago. His 4,671 votes are the fourth highest total in the history of the Ames Straw poll. The results suggest his campaign is catching on with voters in a way that it did not four years ago, when he campaigned for the presidency as a little-known candidate who finished well behind the top contenders. But given the experience of the past four years, the retired obstetrician's warnings of an economic collapse, his scathing criticism of the Federal Reserve Board's monetary manipulations, and his outspoken opposition to a growing and costly array of military interventions are capturing the attention of a public weary of wars and burdened by a weak economy. And by opposing the Patriot Act, with its unconstitutional authorization of warrantless government searches, and the intrusive searches carried on at airports by the Transportation Safety Administration, Paul has struck a responsive chord with Americans who believe the federal government is abusing privacy rights and individual liberty. As an Associated Press story on Sunday put it, Paul is  "shaping the 2012 Republican primary by giving voice to the party's libertarian wing and reflecting frustration with the United States' international entanglements."

Paul also emphasized his opposition to abortion in a state where social conservatives play a key role in determining the winner of the Iowa caucuses. "I believe in a very limited role for government," he told a cheering crowd at the Ames straw poll on Saturday. "But the prime reason that government exists in a free society is to protect liberty, but also to protect life. And I mean all life. You cannot have relative value for life and deal with that. We cannot play God and make those decisions. All life is precious."

"Dr. Paul is surging in this race, and today's results show the strength of his grassroots support and top notch organization," said campaign chairman Jesse Benton, "These straw poll results, our growing poll numbers and our strong fundraising shows that our message is resonating with Iowans and Americans everywhere."

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Joe M. said:

... The lack of coverage is not surprising, but nonetheless upsetting. Although I would love to see Ron Paul in the White House, given the history of past Presidents who have made the central banks mad, I fear for him if he indeed becomes our next President.

August 15, 2011

Pat Riot said:

... This is great Not only will more people realize that the media is a fraud, people will go online to find out about Ron Paul, and they'll actually get the truth instead of MSM lies. This is why the establishment media is becoming irrelevant so fast. We should be celebrating! Thank you TNA!!!

August 15, 2011

Paul Dugas said:

electronics tech It may seem dangerous at first, this Ron Paul message. But it's far more dangerous to not support this candidate. Revolution Calling - Ron Paul 2012 or Bust

August 15, 2011

David S said:

The word is out: Ignore Ron Paul If America had a free press, Ron Paul's impressive results out of Ames would have been one of the top news stories over the weekend. As the author mentions, Bachmann was expected to win, given that Iowa is virtually her home and that the most significant voting block in Iowa politics, the religious right, is naturally drawn to her rhetoric and religious background. Moreover, it was thought that a large straw poll turn out would favor her. Yet in spite of the very large turn out and the other aforementioned Bachmann advantages, Paul pulled a virtual tie! How is this not a compelling news story? How did Ron Paul, articulating the same libertarian convictions he has held to for his entire political carrer, pull out such a stunning result against the odds? Nobody in the MSM cares. Nothing to see hear folks. Grrrrrr!!!!

August 15, 2011

Michael W. Moore said:

Ron Paul Supporter WAAAAA! WAAAAA! If there is anything that can bring the blind to see is the money... "Money Talks and Bull sh@# walks!" the saying goes. Put your money where your mouth is, quit spending so much time crying and send Ron Paul an amount that might even hurt you a bit. If every Ron Paul supporter did this and the word got out, I doubt they'd be able to contain it. I do not work for Ron Paul except that I like what he stands for and would like to see him in the White House. My money is on Ron Paul! If he wants to put his life on the line... I'll support our Patriot all the way up the road.

August 15, 2011

Mike J said:

Join or form meetups! I'm relatively new to politics but it seems to me that Ron Paul followers are the dissidents now, and the Media won't give RP the time of day because RP himself is a dissident, which makes him my leader. It's up to us to get RP elected against all odds. Donate yes, but get active day to day! Plan events with others when possible!

August 15, 2011

Ken E. said:

... I'm glad to see other people are awake and aware of the MSM's tactic of silence when it comes to Ron Paul. They refuse to give him any coverage whatsoever, good or bad, as their way of marginalizing him and his supporters. They used the same tactic successfully in 2008. Yes indeed, it will be up to me and you to get the message out and provide the financial support needed to overcome the 'establishment'. I think it will be worth it.

August 16, 2011